Explore the vast range of titles available.

Knowing the optimum germination temperatures of endangered plants, as well as the magnitude of climate changes (e.g., rising temperatures) across the spatial range of these species, is essential to assess the level of threat for such species and, consequently, to implement tailored and enduring conservation programs. These analyses should be also integrated by the study of land-cover changes, which can act as an indicator of landscape fragmentation and, therefore, as a proxy of gene flow across metapopulations of species of conservation interest. This study, in particular, investigated both the germination behavior of Muscari gussonei , Petagnaea gussonei and Poterium spinosum , and the trends of climate and land-cover changes occurred in the distributional areas of these species. M. gussonei and P. gussonei are two endangered and narrowly distributed endemic plants from Sicily (Italy), whereas P. spinosum is another biogeographically important species with a highly scattered range across south-eastern Sicily. All the studied plants showed the same narrow germination optimum of 10–15 °C, but different final germination percentage (FGP): 82–98% in M. gussonei , 10–38% in P. gussonei , 5–61% in fruits and 21–68% in seeds of P. spinosum. These optimum germination temperatures are low and limited and, therefore, make the three species much more vulnerable to ever-rising temperatures, which specifically increased by up to 2 °C in the period 1931–2020. Similarly, across the species ranges during 2000–2018, the analysis of CORINE Land Cover classes showed highly fragmented landscapes, where forest and seminatural areas (class 3) declined, and agricultural areas (class 2) increased. The ongoing climate changes will make the suitable germination temperatures harder to be reached by plants with low and narrow germination optimum, such as M. gussonei , P. gussonei and P. spinosum , whose survival is further threatened by a complex fragmented territory with declining natural areas.

This study investigated the germination capacity (endogenous factor) of Petagnaea gussonei (Spreng.) Rauschert, an endemic monospecific plant considered as a relict species of the ancient Mediterranean Tertiary flora. This investigation focused also on the temporal trends of soil-use, climate and desertification (exogenous factors) across the natural range of P. gussonei . The final germination percentage showed low values between 14 and 32%, the latter obtained with GA 3 and agar at 10 °C. The rising temperatures in the study area will further increase the dormancy of P. gussonei , whose germination capacity was lower and slower at temperatures higher than 10 °C. A further limiting factor of P. gussonei is its dormancy, which seems to be morpho-physiological. Regarding climate trends, in the period 1931–2020, the average temperature increased by 0.5 °C, from 15.4 to 15.9 °C, in line with the projected climate changes throughout the twenty-first century across the Mediterranean region. The average annual rainfall showed a relatively constant value of c. 900 mm, but extreme events grew considerably in the period 1991–2020. Similarly, the land affected by desertification expanded in an alarming way, by increasing from 21.2% in 2000 to 47.3% in 2020. Soil-use changes created also a complex impacting mosaic where c. 40% are agricultural areas. The effective conservation of P. gussonei should be multilateral by relying on germplasm banks, improving landscape connectivity and vegetation cover, and promoting climate policies.

Poterium spinosum L. is a key plant species forming typical shrub communities, distributed across the Mediterranean eastern coasts. The conservation of P. spinosum is thus of the utmost importance, especially due to the ever-increasing environmental pressures like climate changes and habitat fragmentation. This study, in particular, investigated for the first time the germination variability of P. spinosum at intrapopulation level, by analysing the germination behavior of five different subpopulations growing along the coasts of Sicily. For a more exhaustive picture of the main drivers of biodiversity loss affecting the distributional area of P. spinosum , the trends of climate and land-cover changes were also studied over the periods 1931–2020 and 1958–2018, respectively. The results found significant intrapopulation variability in P. spinosum , whose germination parameters showed that fruits and seeds from distinct subpopulations respond differently to diverse temperatures. Seeds showed generally higher values of final germination percentage (FGP) compared to fruits, and at higher temperatures: the highest FGP in seeds was 70% at 20 °C, whereas in fruits was 58.2% at 15 °C. The environmental threats showed worrying trends across the study area: during 1931–2020, the average temperature increased by 1.5 °C, whereas the average rainfall declined from 710 to 650 mm. Similarly, in the period 1958–2018, the analysis of the CORINE land-cover changes showed a highly fragmented agricultural landscape, where natural areas were reduced to 2.5–5.0%. Germination variability at intrapopulation level should be considered as a fundamental adaptation strategy, which can increase the reproductive success of P. spinosum under climate and land-cover changes.

In August 2023, ehrlichiosis was confirmed in a patient in Italy with a Haemaphysalis punctata tick attached to his neck. Gene sequences of Ehrlichia canis from the tick and the patient were identical, indicating a potential risk for this uncommon infection for persons participating in outdoor activities.

In June 2022, at the XXXII Conference of the Italian Society of Parasitology, the parallels of the main endoparasitic infections of horses and donkeys were discussed. Although these 2 species are genetically different, they can be challenged by a similar range of parasites (i.e. small and large strongyles, and Parascaris spp.). Although equids can demonstrate some level of resilience to parasites, they have quite distinct helminth biodiversity, distribution and intensity among different geographical locations and breeds. Heavily infected donkeys may show fewer clinical signs than horses. Although parasite control is primarily provided to horses, we consider that there may be a risk of drug-resistance parasitic infection through passive infection in donkeys when sharing the same pasture areas. Knowing the possible lack of drug efficacy (<90 or 80%), it is advocated the use of selective treatment for both species based on fecal egg counts. Adult horses should receive treatment when the threshold exceeds 200–500 eggs per gram (EPG) of small strongyles. Moreover, considering that there are no precise indications in donkeys, a value >300 EPG may be a safe recommendation. We have highlighted the main points of the discussion including the dynamics of helminth infections between the 2 species.

Environmental and anthropogenic factors may significantly affect the diffusion of wild animals, enhancing the interface of human–wildlife interactions and driving the spread of pathogens and vector-borne diseases between animals and humans. However, in the last decade, the involvement of citizens in scientific research (the so-called citizen science approach, henceforth abbreviated as CS) provided a network of large-scale and cost-effective surveillance programmes of wildlife populations and their related arthropod species. Therefore, this review aims to illustrate different methods and tools used in CS studies, by arguing the main advantages and considering the limitations of this approach. The CS approach has proven to be an effective method for establishing density and distribution of several wild animal species, in urban, peri-urban and rural environments, as well a source of information regarding vector–host associations between arthropods and wildlife. Extensive efforts are recommended to motivate citizens to be involved in scientific projects to improve both their and our knowledge of the ecology and diseases of wildlife. Following the One Health paradigm, collaborative and multidisciplinary models for the surveillance of wildlife and related arthropod species should be further developed by harnessing the potentiality of the CS approach.

During 2021, we collected blood and serum samples from 135 persons exposed to tick bites in southern Italy. We serologically and molecularly screened for zoonotic tickborne pathogens and only molecularly screened for Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii. Overall, 62 (45.9%) persons tested positive for tickborne pathogens. Coxiella burnetii was detected most frequently (27.4%), along with Rickettsia spp. (21.5%) and Borrelia spp. (10.4%). We detected Candidatus M. mitochondrii DNA in 46 (34.1%) participants who had statistically significant associations to tickborne pathogens (p<0.0001). Phylogenetic analysis of Candidatus M. mitochondrii sequences revealed 5 clades and 8 human sequence types that correlated with vertebrates, Ixodes spp. ticks, and countries in Europe. These data demonstrated a high circulation of tickborne pathogens and Candidatus M. mitochondrii DNA in persons participating in outdoor activities in southern Italy. Our study shows how coordinated surveillance among patients, clinicians, and veterinarians could inform a One Health approach for monitoring and controlling the circulation of tickborne pathogens.

The emerging zoonotic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis causes severe neural angiostrongyliasis in both humans and animals. The parasite has been reported in Spain. We detected A. cantonensis in rats and gastropods from the Campania region, southern Italy, demonstrating its broad distribution on the southern coast of Europe.

Forests and green areas proved to be crucial and unexpected allies in the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, urban and suburban green areas acted as propelling centers of public health during the most severe periods of lockdown. The exploitation of forested areas also contributed to mitigating the economic impact of job losses during the pandemic. This study specifically focused on the lessons that still need to be learned and suggested possible strategies for strengthening the lessons learned from COVID-19. Based on our investigation, we found that the use of urban green areas is significantly dependent on cultural and socioeconomic factors, and the increased interest in suburban green areas suggests a generally insufficient level of urban green spaces. Moreover, the exploitation of forests favored greater illegal deforestation in economically depressed countries, which led to biodiversity disruption and the further impoverishment of natural wood resources. First, as many citizens as possible, across different age, gender, cultural and socioeconomic conditions, should be encouraged to maintain the healthy habits that they developed during the pandemic. This may be accomplished by making cities more inclusive through the promotion of societal values, social cohesion and awareness campaigns. People should be encouraged to benefit from suburban green areas through increased connectivity between cities and their surrounding natural zones. Moreover, the promotion of the sustainable use of forested lands will contribute to not only ecological but also economic recovery through the creation of green jobs. Therefore, the greatest lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic is something that we have always known: equity is the guiding principle for a more resilient world.

Wildlife animals are recognized as reservoirs for zoonotic fungi and their faeces might play an important role in introducing pathogens into the environment. Thought wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) population has dramatically increased across Europe, information about their possible role in dissemination of zoonotic pathogenic yeasts in the environment is scant. Therefore, fecal samples (n = 124) from wild boars from Campania region (Southern Italy) were collected and yeasts identified biochemically and molecularly by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region and their phylogenetical relationship assessed. The antifungal susceptibility profiles of yeasts were also investigated using AFST-EUCAST method. Yeasts were isolated from 50.1% of the samples with the highest occurrence in samples from the province of Salerno (61.1%). A total of 368 Candida strains belonging to nine species were identified, with Candida albicans (45.7%), followed by Candida krusei (15.2%), Kazachstania slooffiae (9.8%) and Candida parapsilosis (7.6%) as the most prevalent identified species. Among C. albicans four sequence types (i.e., ST1-ST4) were identified with an intraspecific nucleotide difference up to 0.21%. The ML tree grouped all representative sequence types as paraphyletic clades with those of the references yeast species, respectively and supported by high bootstrap values. Fluconazole was the less active drug whereas, posaconazole, voriconazole, and isavuconazole the most active one. No resistance phenomena were observed for C. albicans and high MICs values for 5FC, azoles and echinocandines were registered in non-albicans Candida spp. This study showed, for the first time, the important role of wild boars in dissemination of pathogenic fungi in the environment. The absence of resistance phenomena in the Candida spp. might reflect environmental free from residues of azoles antifungals pollution or chemicals and suggests the role of wild boar as bio indicators of environment quality.